Solid Muse
by ToaXabineh
Summary: AU! Jack had only just found a partner who could at least make a good attempt at keeping up with him. Now the teen dancer is stuck in Jasper. But when he takes cover from a storm in a small dance studio, he finds out that he isn't the only amazing dancer in Jasper. Now 8 people are trying to convince him to be a part of the studio, but that's easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is just a random idea I got, It's AU (Alternate universe, incase you didn't know, because I didn't understand what AU meant at first). This will be updated rarely, because my laptop is mean and doesn't like to work for me sometimes ^_^" Anyway, just saying if you don't like, then don't read. Haters/flamers will be ignored, so doing so would be a waste of time.**

**Please review and tell me if you like this idea of an alternate universe, if not many like it, I may remove the story, I only to make sure there's room for future stories.**

**Now, for those who don't flame stories or do hater comments, read on!**

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**~Road, ****3rd POV~**

Jack never had a life outside of dancing. He would lose himself for hours in the music, his emotions controling his movements. Some might say dancing was for girls, but Jack personally didn't care. His father had danced, many different styles in fact, and Jack treasured the techniques his dad had taught him when he was little.

Nothing quite felt as exhilerating as the strong movements. No matter if he was alone, or he was twisting and turning in a chaotic dance with a partner, he always felt the rush in his veins and pound of his heart. It was an addicting sensation he always strived to obtain when he was in the studio.

But now there he was, sitting in a car, glarring out the window at the barren terrain.

"Jack. I know you aren't exstatic about this, but think about it, honey. With this new job I'll get more pay, and we have a huge house, nothing like our old house. You'll have pleanty of room to dance, and I'm sure you'll find a studio in Jasper that will be happy to have you around."

The raven teen simply gave a small sound, showing he'd heard her. The real problem was he didn't want to leave because he'd finally found a partner that could actually keep up with him, at least slightly. Now here he was, moving halfway across the country to a tiny place called Jasper, that sat in the middle of no where.

So much for the competition

Jack sighed, looking over at his mom.

"Mom, I'm happy for you and all, but I just don't like this, I found someone back home who could at least keep up with me, I was going to enter a _giant _competition. You should have _seen_ Monica's face when I said she'd have to find another person to dance with, I still have a hand print on my cheek I think."

His mom raised a brow, humorous grin twitching at her lips.

"I thought you liked dancing alone?"

Jack shrugged, pulling his feet up onto his seat, arms curling around his legs and chin resting atop his knees.

"Mr. Saelivon wanted me to have a partner. Monica could sorta keep up with me, enough at least. I kinda admit I need practice dancing with a partner."

"Well, you might find a partner here."

Jack gave his mother a look.

"Really? In Jasper, the entertainment capital of the world?" He gave a snort, looking back out the window.

"At least now I can dance alone. Won't have lots of people trying to convince me they can keep up with me when they _can't_."

His mom laughed.

"Is that so? I remember a time when your father said that. Boy did he change his tone when he danced with me."

Jack smirked.

"You sure he wasn't just looking for a date?"

Jack laughed when he got a playfull smack on the arm.

"Are you saying I can't dance? Do you forget I was one of the people who taught you some of your best moves?"

Jack smirked fully, turning his head to again look at his mother.

"If I remember right, whenever you and dad tried to show me the goncho, I always had to leave because you two would end up sucking eachothers faces off."

Another light smack met the teens arm again, and he chuckled.

"Well, not my fault that your dad was a romantic."

Giving another snort, Jack shifted, feet on the dashboard.

"Whatever you say. I'm just glad the basement was soundproofed."

That time, the smack on his arm hurt.

**~Jasper, 3rd POV~**

"Oh! The moving truck got here before us! That makes things a lot easier!"

Jack ignored the moving men, jumping up into the truck and grabbing the large box labeled as _'**Jack's things, DO NOT TOUCH!**'_

With more grace then most others his age, he again jumped down from the truck and entered the door (Now open thanks to the movers). He went upstairs, claming the room on the right side of the hallway, and setting down the large box.

He waited for his bed, dresser, bookcase and desk to be moved in, before promptly shutting the door and begining to unload his things.

An armfull of notebooks on his desk, a few pictures in frames on his dresser, he loaded the dresser with clothing, then placed a few books in his bookcase along with a few knick-knacks. Then he placed his Ipod dock on the top of the bookcase. He then put one of his most precious items, his sleek Ipod touch in the dock and selected a song.

He was in the mood for a song that was slower, more dramatic and something that sounded perhaps a bit 'tribal', as he'd say.

He finally found a good song, 'O, Death' by Jen Titus. Selecting it, he move away to the large empty space at the center of his room. He then sat on his knees, head bowed.

Slowly he began to move. First his arms, in long, sweeping motions, head lifting, twisting to follow the path of his hands with is half-lidded eyes.

He continued to twist and turn his arms as the woman began to sing. He then fell forward, limp for a moment when the woman's voice disappeared for a moment, as though he were a puppet who's strings had been cut. The woman's voice returned and he swung his hands up, standing, as though he were to follow his hands.

**_'But what is this that I can't see, with ice cold hands, takin' hold of__ me?'_ **

At these lyrics, Jack feigned a pained emotion on his face, embracing himself as his knees gave away, only for him to stop, catching himself at the last moment and straitening with a delicate, graceful spin. His face still turned upwards.

He continued on, face still masked with fake sadness and pain. His hands did most of the motion of the dance, but now and away he would feign near collapse again or give another graceful turn.

_**'No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold! Nothing satisfies me but your soul...'**_

Left arm out strait to his side, then right arm, the left then drew upward, followed by the right. Jack then brought both hands to his head, clutching at his ebon hair as his head fell for a moment before coming back up, face turned to the ceiling.

A few more movements, and the song came to the last lyrics.

_**'Oh, death. Oh, death. My name is death and the end is here...'**_

Jack fell to his knees again, had down, hands falling limp at his sides.

The song ended, and Jack stood again. He went, switching off the Ipod dock and removing the sleek black device from the dock. His mood was much improved, despite the song having been rather dark and depressing.

Shoving the Ipod in his pocket, Jack went down the stairs, deciding to help with the rest of the unpacking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jasper, 3rd POV**

"Now everyone, we have a new student here today! Why don't you introduce yourself?"

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the teacher. The woman was acting so sickly sweet that it almost made him nauseous.

Stepping in the door, he looked out at the class for a moment. Half of them looked bored out of their minds, and the other half weren't even paying attention.

"I'm Jack Darby, I just moved here the other day." He said shortly, looking to the teacher for his seating assignment.

The woman blinked in surprise.

"Uh, do you have any hobbies?" She asked.

Jack held back a sigh.

"No." He said shortly. He was in no mood to deal with idiots teasing him about dancing.

The teacher sighed.

"Alright then! Just pick a free seat! And welcome to Jasper High, Mr. Darby."

Jack nodded before moving to the back of the room, picking the seat in the very back that was close to the window. Once the lesson started, the ebony haired youth pulled out his Ipod, discreetly sticking his ear buds in his ears and choosing a song.

This was going to be a long day, he could tell.

**Later**

Jack sighed as he wove around people in the lunchroom, tray in his hands.

"Hey! New kid! Over here!"

Jack' eyes snapped over when a female called this out.

The girl was Asian, with black hair tied in an interesting style, the ends dyed bright pink. She looked to be about a year younger than Jack, so about fifteen. She was waving wildly at him.

Next to her sat a male of about fourteen, with short brown hair and light brown eyes that hid behind a pair of red rimmed glasses. He was smiling shyly at Jack and waving him over a well.

Jack hesitantly went over, sitting across from them at the table.

"Thanks." He murmured, nodding his head to them as he began to pick through his food in search for something that looked remotely edible.

"So, dude. Your name's Jack, right?"

"Hm? Oh, Yeah." The raven male replied, glancing up for a moment at the girl. She grinned.

"I'm Miko! And this is Raf!"

Jack nodded, offering a slight grin.

Miko leaned forward, arms folded on the table.

"So, you likin' it here?"

Jack shrugged.

"It's different from where I lived before. But It's quiet, so I guess it's kind of nice." He replied, taking a bite of something Jack decided was most likely meatloaf.

Miko ad Raf laughed.

"I know what you mean. Sure it ain't the entertainment capital of the world, but it's nice."

Raf suddenly spoke up.

"So are you going to join a club or something? Since you said you didn't have any hobbies?"

Jack shrugged again.

"I've got enough stuff to keep me busy at home. I'm not much of a school club person. Why, do you have a suggestion?"

Raf shook his head.

"No, just asking."

Jack grinned slightly, giving a small chuckle.

**Later, 3rd pov**

Jack shoved his now finished homework into his backpack with a sigh of relief. Only a his third day in Jasper, and he already had to do five pages of Geometry and many other things as well.

But he was done now, and he could do whatever he wanted.

Hooking his Ipod into the dock, Jack selected a song. "Don't run away" by Tyler James Williams. A good song with a good beat, it seemed Disney was stepping up its came (A/N: Gotta love Disney!)

This time, instead of simply moving, he added in emotion. His expressions would change fluidly as the words would change, and he assured that each small glance and tiny movement was precise.

Just as the song came to it's halfway point, his door opened.

Jack glanced over to see his mom, then went and turned off his Ipod dock.

"Mom. Need something?"

The woman smiled, leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms.

"I forgot to grab some things from the store, think you could go get them for me?"

Jack sighed. He knew that tone well. His mother was trying to be considerate by making him think he had a choice when he really didn't.

**Later**

Jack sighed as he walked out of the store, a plastic bag slung over his shoulder.

He hated when his mom forgot to buy stuff. Because then _he_ was the one who had to go get it. And at night time of all times.

The raven teen sighed, pulling out his Ipod and putting in his ear buds. He started walking down the sidewalk, scrolling through the songs before selecting one. But when he looked up, he found himself in an unfamiliar part of Jasper.

"Great." Jack muttered sarcastically, looking around as e pulled out his ear buds and shoved the Ipod back into his pocket.

A boom of thunder came, followed by a sudden onslaught of rain. Jack cursed under his breath furiously as he ran to find cover.

Seeing the lights of a building on, Jack ran over and tested the door. It opened with ease and Jack quickly ducked into the building, shutting the door behind him.

Jack looked up and was surprised at what he saw.

A few folding chairs were set up in two rows behind a glass wall that cut off the chairs from the wood floor on the other side. The glass wall curved slightly before cutting off, leaving the side of the room open for any to leave or enter onto the wood that met the carpet.

A large stereo blasted music and Jack was shocked to see Miko and Raf in a group among six others.

They were _dancing_.

Jack watched, mind instantly registering the style which they were currently practicing. Miko was with a large person, a man who was built strong, while Raf was off t the side with the other dancers, chuckling at what a ninth person, who looked to simply be there to help with sound and lighting, was grumbling about.

No one had noticed Jack yet, it seemed, as Miko and her partner continued.

_'Their timing is off.'_ The ebony haired mal noted as he went and sat in one of the meal folding chairs. He leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees as he watched.

Even though their timing was off, they were still pretty good. Better than the other dancers from back in Jack's old home city.

Hearing the music made Jack twitch. He wanted nothing more than to stand up and dance to the music as well, but he managed to resist the urge.

The second oldest of the group, a man with shaggy black hair and bright blue eyes, made a gesture to the man by the stereo.

The music was switched off, and Miko and her partner stopped, stepping away from each other and looking at the man, who had turned to the others of the group.

"Can any of you tell me what was wrong that time?"

The mans voice was calm and baritone, making Jack feel safer.

The group looked at one another, before each gave their own form of a 'no'.

Jack stood up, moving over to lean on the end of the glass wall.

"Their timing was off."

Everyone turned, a few jumping in surprise at his voice.

Recognition lit Raf and Miko's eyes.

"Jack!"

The older man, the instructor, Jack guessed, turned to the two younger dancers.

"You know him?"

The two eagerly nodded before running over to Jack and dragging him onto the floor.

"He's the new kid at our school!" Miko exclaimed happily before looking back at the ebon haired teen.

"But I didn't know you could dance, Jacky-boy!"

The older teen scowled at the nickname, pulling his wrist free of her and Raf's grips.

"You never asked."

The large male that had been Miko's dancing partner smiled, offering a hand.

"Nice to meet you. Just call me Bulkhead, everyone does."

Jack accepted the hand.

"Jack Darby."

The raven teen then looked at the instructor.

"Like I said before, their timing was off. If they're planning on competing, they'll need quite a bit of practice."

The man nodded, inspecting him. Jack had a lean frame that allowed him to have the agility that would be useful when it came to dancing, and the grace of the teen's movements seemed to be natural for the ebony haired youth.

"I assume you have been dancing for a long time?"

Jack nodded slowly before looking back at the eldest man that sat by the stereo.

"Play that song again, please. If I see them dance one more time, I can probably identify where the problem is coming from. That is, if you don't mind?" Jack asked, looking at the instructor.

"No, I would actually like to see if you can identify the problem."

Jack smiled slightly, nodding before moving off to the side. The instructor nodded at the older man by the stereo.

"Ratchet. Restart the song."

The man, Ratchet, huffed irritably. But did as told.

Jack watched intently as Miko and Bulkhead again danced. Now that they knew their timing was off, they were trying to fix that. They were closer to matching the pace the song set, but still not there completely.

When the song ended, Jack nodded to himself in confirmation. He then walked forward.

"Your still off. The rhythm is a bit slower. I think your just trying to compensate for Miko's being faster than you. That makes her try and move faster. Slow down, both of you, and you should be able to match the music." The ebon haired teen explained, looking first at Bulkhead, then at Miko.

The two others nodded, faces showing realization at the words.

Jack looked up at the instructor.

"That was their main problem, yeah? There were a few other small errors, but it takes everyone awhile to understand how to fix them. Depending on their level, it won't be as big a deal in competition."

The man nodded in agreement, his face showing a small sliver of surprise.

Suddenly, a woman in her early twenties spoke up.

"How do you know all this?"

Jack inspected the young woman. Short hair dyed blue with pale pink highlights, shockingly blue eyes and pale skin. She was thin, but not so much as to be considered as a twig of a person.

The raven teen finally replied, crossing his arms.

"I've danced for years. My mom and dad were once dancers as well."

The instructor next to Jack smiled softly.

"Would you mind showing us how much skill you have? We have a dock if you have an Ipod."

Jack looked over at the other people, then back at the instructor. He shrugged.

"Sure. There's no harm in it I guess."


End file.
